WHEN I GROW UPVanessa Adia

8th Grade Science

My Interests

Realistic – 0 Investigative- 10 Artistic- 9 Social- 9 Enterprising- 10 Conventional- 8

Recommended Careers

Investigative:

Engineer Scientist Political

Scientist Family

Physician Historian

Enterprising:

Legislator CEO Manager Lawyer Copy Writer Chef

Social: Teacher Clergy Social

Worker Nurse Professor

Budget

Science Teacher

Science teachers develop engaging curricula, including lab experiments and other scientific investigations; present lessons; and evaluate student performance. Their enthusiasm and appreciation for the natural world helps students understand their own bodies, and how life forms are all connected to each other and to their environments as well as the mysteries and wonder of the physical world. They prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers, including all healthcare professionals.

Why Teach?

I always wanted a career that would allow me to give back and help to make the world a better place than I found it. That started with wanting to be a lawyer, then a minister, then a social worker and lastly a teacher. After five years of working in the private sector running five foundations and two Political Action Committees, I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a teacher. I did so for several reasons, including the ability to spend more time with my family. Primarily though, I wanted to give back to the community in a more personal way than being a Foundation and PAC director allowed and to still have fun at work. Being a science teacher allows me to do all these things.

Required Education

To be a teacher, you need a bachelor’s degree and certification in the subject and grade levels you plan to teach. I have a Bachelor Degree in both Religion and Philosophy from Texas Christian University and Master of Science in Social Work from The University of Texas at Arlington. Upon deciding to change careers, I took courses at Tarleton State University to become a certified teacher.

Financial Matters

The starting salary for a teacher in Fort Worth ISD is $45,200. However, if you teach certain subjects, take on additional responsibilities or have higher educational degrees, you can make more. The average salary for Fort Worth ISD teachers is $53,200. The highest salary for a teacher is $75,258. Teachers also get retirementseparate from social security. 2.3% per year of the top three averaged years. For example. Should I work until 61, I would get 2.3%*32 years of work = 73.6% of an average of the top three years (70,006) or $51,524 a year. If I lived until 90, I would need to save $1,494,196 for retirement if I didn’t have the Texas Retirement System for teachers.

Paying for Education

I got a scholarship for half tuition in order to go to Texas Christian University and I was lucky enough that my parents saved for my college education for 3.5 years of school . So I left TCU without any student loans.

For my Master’s Degree, I worked for a semester after graduating early from TCU and used some of that money, grants for my good grades at TCU and student loans to pay for that degree.

For my education at Tarleton State, I got a grant that covered the cost of all my classes because I was getting certified in secondary science.

While I do have some student loans, I can get all of my loans forgiven by teaching at Benbrook Middle School, or a similar school, for five years.

How Teaching Helps Me to Meet My Life Goals

Teaching allows me to have a career that I love, that is always challenging, never boring and allows me to contribute something positive to the community. I am able spend more time with my family as a teacher then I ever did before.With the salary that I make, combined with my husband’s salary, we are able to afford to live in our dream home, have two cars, a pool, take vacations, provide for our daughters, save for their college education and save for our retirement.